A personal weblog on issues related to the use of biometrics, in order to promote the effective development & implementation of all Biometric technologies (Fingerprint, Iris, Retina, Voice Recognition, Vein, Hand, Keystroke dynamics, Signature) standards and applications.

Monday, June 06, 2005

Your fingerprints are everywhere

Scott Granneman, 2005-06-15How much do you trust your government? That's a question that all of us have to ask, perhaps the more often the better. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of the United States and its third President, wrote to Abigail Adams in 1787 sentences that may seem incredible to many people today:

"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere."One way to define a government is by whom it controls; in other words, governments serve to provide necessary services to their citizens, like roads and armies, but governments can also legally restrict your physical movements, your property, and your rights. That's why someone can sue you in civil court for money, but losing a civil suit cannot lead to your imprisonment or the loss of your civil rights. If you have the misfortune of being tried in criminal court, however, the state is your opponent, not an individual, and losing that trial can result in the loss of your freedoms of movement, property ownership, and civil rights...